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Wednesday, July 2, 2014

90 Million reasons to write older protagonists.

Logo provided by Joanne Guidoccio

OVER 90 MILLION BABY BOOMERS in North America. As part of that demographic, I enjoy reading about older female protagonists and I'm excited to introduce authors who write Boomer Lit and are willing to share their stories.

TODAY I'M WELCOMING JOANNE GUIDOCCIO, author of novels featuring female protagonists in the second act of their lives. She's also a savvy blogger with an informative and inspiring web site, On the Road to Reinvention.

HERE'S JOANNE

In
my late forties, I realized that I no longer enjoyed reading novels with
20something and 30something protagonists. It felt like poking into the heads
and hearts of young women who could easily be former students. So, I started
searching for novels featuring an older crowd and discovered several late-blooming
authors who had launched successful second acts. I longed to pen my own novel,
but family and career obligations prevented me from launching a writing
practice.

When
I retired six years ago, I was ready to write. At first, I focused on the
non-fiction market and wrote book reviews and articles about careers,
education, money management, personal growth and development, and wellness.
While I was pleased with the response from newspapers, magazines, and online publications,
I felt a growing restlessness.

It
was time to pen the novel.

Two
different storylines emerged, each incorporating a fifty-three-year-old woman
at a crossroads. I thought I had randomly selected that particular age but
later realized it was my retirement age. The similarities do not end there.
Both protagonists reinvent themselves as career counsellors hoping to focus on
the boomer population. Toward the end of my teaching career, I enrolled in the
Career Development Practitioner Program at Conestoga College. Originally, I
intended to open a career counselling office, but personal and health
challenges forced me to change course. Instead, I am living vicariously through
my protagonists.

When
it came time to query agents and publishers, I faced another challenge. While
writing Between Land and Sea, I had crossed several genres by introducing an
overweight, middle-aged mermaid, who was abandoned on the fog-drenched shores
of southwest England and forced to reinvent herself using a magic tablet.

I
experimented with several descriptors that were not well received.

According
to one agent, it was not dark enough to be labelled urban fantasy. When I
followed her advice and used contemporary women’s fiction with romantic
elements, there were very few responses. I was relieved when Soul Mate editor
Debby Gibson offered me a contract and then classified Between Land and Sea as
paranormal romance. But the confusion persisted after the book’s release on Amazon.
One friend confided: “I assumed you were writing about witches or vampires. I’m
so glad to hear you’re writing about mermaids.”

Still
wondering about the “right” descriptor, I started reading articles about
literary genres and sub-genres and discovered boomer lit and hen lit. Both
sub-genres focus on older female characters as protagonists and address such
themes as dating after divorce or widowhood, giving birth after age forty,
dealing with multiple generations living in the same house, and launching
second (third or fourth) careers.

This
is definitely a growing market and one that deserves more attention from
agents, publishing houses, and booksellers. In the meantime, I will continue
featuring older protagonists and, when discouraged or frustrated, reread the
excellent reviews I have received from readers of all ages.

Between Land and Sea - paranormal mermaid story

After giving up her tail for an international banker, Isabella
of the Mediterranean kingdom is aged beyond recognition. The horrified banker
abandons her on the fog-drenched shores of southwest England, leaving her to
face a difficult human journey as a plain and practically destitute
fifty-three-year-old woman.

With the help of a magic tablet and online mermaid support, Isabella evolves
into the persona of Barbara Davies. Along the way, she encounters a cast of
unforgettable characters, among them former mermaids, supportive and
not-so-supportive women, deserving and undeserving men, and several New Agers.

What a great post and it makes perfect sense to target baby boomers, of which I am one.

Like you I, too, reinvented myself as a full-time writer at age 50. However my protagonists are in their early 30's. This will be a series and I'll bring them into their 40's. Hopefully! ;)

Your post is great food for thought for upcoming novels. I had never heard of hen lit. Lol. Loved hearing your genre straddler story. I too straddle genres with romance, women's fiction and suspense all packed into one.

Like you, Joanne, I love reading about women who are entering the second act of their lives. I love the concept of your mermaid book, and have put it on the TBR pile. Great post and great food for thought.

It is good to read about someone more worldly, possible a little cynical and sarcastic, instead of wide-eyed wonder. Thank you Joanne for sharing your experiences and thank you Mahrie for bringing Joanne's book to my attention. I am very interested in 'Boomer Lit'.